Spoiled Hike

Disc Golf and Cabins in the Shenandoah Mountains

Disc Golf

There are several aspects of Spoiled Hike that are worth mentioning at the outset. 

  1. Right now there are two main clusters: Ten baskets on the western side of Trukey Ridge Road, and another fourteen on the eastern side.  Although it is  also heavily wooded, you can tell by looking at the satellite map that the western cluster has a lot more open space.
  2. It's in the mountains, so there are lots of elevation changes.   On the east side. the main exception is the top of the ridge.    So, if you like level ground you have to accept a gravel road or driveway as a fairway. 
  3. I expect this to be low traffic course.  The main consequence of that expectation is that most of the fairways are designed to operate bidirectionally.  Also, tees and pins are often in close proximity.  One of the reasons traffic must remain low is that there aren't that many places to park.  Each cabin on the ridge has 2-3 parking places, but that's about it.  
  4. The course has a low profile.  Markers are used to identify many tee positions, and some are hard to find without the map.  However, in addition to the spots that are level already, there are many smallish (usually 4' by 8') tee pads that create a level platform to throw from. 

Course Hours

The course is open to inter-cabin traffic from 10 am - 5 pm.  If a cabin appears to be occupied at other times, don’t play there without permission from them.  You can always play around your own cabin.  Also, disc golfers are always welcome around Three Peaks.   Although Spoiled Hike is a private course, other disc golfers may also play with permission - see contact info to obtain it. 

Play at Your Own Risk

While Disc Golf is not a particularly dangerous activity, some precautions are in order:

1.       Getting hit with a disc hurts.  Stand behind other people when they are throwing, and don’t throw when people are within your throwing range.  Also, don’t take a chance of hitting a vehicle or a cabin window.  Some of the fairways are driveways, and if there is a car in the way, either start play beyond it or skip the hole altogether.

2.       Rocks are slippery when wet.  Since many of the baskets are in and around rocks, take extra care when navigating in and around them, especially when they are wet.  Do not throw from the top of the big rock in front of Basket E.  If it lands up there, retrieve it carefully and putt from the E1 teepad.  In the fall, wet leaves can render a slope very slippery too.

3.       Poison Oak.  While there is very little around the eastern cluster, there is some in the woods on the west side, especially off the fairway between baskets V and W.    

4.       Rusty Fence Wire and the natural barbs.  The area the western cluster is in used to be a cattle farm.  Even though most of the fence has been removed, there is still some in the woods along the fairway between baskets U and V, the wooded area near basket Q, and along the trail across from basket H.  But the bigger problem really are the raspberry plants that pop up all over and grow back in a hurry.  

5.       Ticks and other Bugs.  Always check for ticks after you are done playing (or just hiking, for that matter).  The more time you off the fairway and in the woods, the more likely it is that they will find you.  Bug repellent on the ankles helps.  Gnats and mosquitos may be out there too if it has been raining, so use bug spray for them too.         

Spoiled Hike Course Maps

Tees and Pins: A list of the most attractive combinations currently possible.  Most of these are found in one of the standard courses, but not all.  If you would like to formulate your own course, this is a useful reference.  If you come with something really good, send it to me and maybe I'll make a map.

Road Trips: A list of other nearby courses that you might want to try out.